The Protectors: Book 1 in the Protectors Saga Read Online Free

revenge
kept her going. She was only yards away from the Emperor when two
long arrows shot out from the crowd of monsters and struck her in
the right hip, tossing her to the floor and making her legs
virtually useless.
    Once she was on the ground, Jade had her sword
knocked away from her and received a swift kick to the face. She
grabbed on to the offending foot with her only good arm and
wrenched it upwards, effectively discarding her attacker.
    Jade turned herself over onto her belly and began to
crawl towards the Emperor, dragging her wounded legs and arm with
her. She reached down and untied a small crossbow that had been
securely fastened to her belt. She lifted the crossbow up and took
aim at the Emperor, but before she could get a shot off, a Bacci
Demon took hold of Jade’s leg and began dragging her backwards.
Jade flipped over and shot the Demon through the heart with one of
her crossbow arrows. Right after she took the shot, another large
swamp troll descended upon her, knocking the crossbow out of her
hand. She grabbed a dagger she had hidden in her boot and brought
it up, straight through the troll’s chin and up into his brain.
    As Jade rolled the troll off of her, she was able to
see at least ten more deadly trolls only seconds away from reaching
her. Jade dismissed any instinct she had to want to fight them off
and instead rolled back over onto her belly and continued on her
path to the Emperor. Knowing she wouldn’t be able to reach him, she
stared him dead in his vacant black slits for eyes, and let her
hatred show all over her face as she spoke to him.
    “I promise you Emperor, one way or another, I will see you again.” Jade growled.
    A second Succubus Demon made his way through the
crowd of trolls. He reached Jade and stood over her, one leg on
either side of her body. The Demon glanced up at the Emperor, and
the Emperor, in return, gave him a quick nod of approval. With
that, the Demon raised the massive broadsword he was holding high
in front of him, and a split second later, brought it down straight
through Jade.
    Jade made one last reach towards the Emperor, before
she let out a final breath and lay on the floor dead.
    Outside of the fortress the Emperor could hear the
sky going wild. Thunder roared and lightning beat down upon the
ground. The scent of damp rain mixed with the coppery scent of
blood and made for a heady concoction that seemed, to the Emperor,
a perfect perfume for the occasion. The Emperor laughed to himself,
wondering if the storm raging outside was the planet’s way of
weeping for its lost Protectors. He hoped so; he loved the idea of
causing so much pain.
    The Emperor’s fiendish army stood covered in blood,
some of it their own, some belonging to the Protectors. They stood
and waited for the Emperor’s orders, ready to do his bidding.
    The Emperor took a deep breath, still savoring his
morbid perfume, “Take this garbage,” he waved a dismissive hand
towards the bodies of the Protectors, “and place it on stakes along
the front gate. Let our enemies see what becomes of those who try
to fight us.”
    A large number of swamp trolls moved in to carry the
bodies away, but before they could even reach the first body,
something began to happen. The Protector’s bodies began to emit a
warm soft glow, like there was a fire burning on the inside of
them. The glow became brighter and brighter until the Emperor and
his armies could no longer see the bodies, just five bright orbs of
light. Then, in a giant explosion of white light the Protectors
were gone.
    The Emperor screamed, in a rage, “That pathetic
little magician!” He spat out, and then turned to speak to his
army, “Go to the Protector’s village and bring their bodies back to
me!”
    A small Demon with snake-like features stepped
forward, “But, my Lord, the Protector’s village is located near
King Draven’s territory.”
    “So?” The Emperor asked.
    “Well, Draven has a large army,” the Demon